'A lifestyle that no Canadian city can touch': Vancouverites share what's 'easy' about living in the city
Many Vancouverites are aware of the challenges of living in the city, especially when it comes to housing and cost of living.
Even with rent prices dropping, they remain pricey, with the average asking rent for a one-bedroom $2,385 per month and a two-bedroom $3,330 per month. Further, Desjardins reported that home ownership is reaching “impossibly unaffordable” levels. Another report found that over one-third of B.C. residents earn less than a living wage.
On a Reddit post, someone acknowledged that they “hear a lot about Vancouver being a difficult place to do many things.”
Not only did they say “it’s hard to find a decent place in Vancouver,” but they also pointed out a number of things they hear that are difficult, like making friends, dating, getting a job, paying bills, and solving the unhoused and drug crisis in the city.
But they wanted to know: “Is there anything that’s relatively easy to do in Vancouver?”
And according to Redditors, yes, there are.
Many people commented on the city’s access to the outdoors.
“You can ride the bus to access legit wilderness,” said one person. “A lot is not cheap, but walking in the woods is almost always good value.”
Someone added that you can find “little pockets of woods in ravines or parks in tons of places all throughout the Lower Mainland,” not only in mountain ranges.
People also spoke highly of how easy it is to get around the city, either by biking, transit, or car share, and thus not needing to own a car.
“Our transit system is very good for our population and volume of riders, especially for North America,” someone wrote. (According to a 2023 global ranking of public transit systems, it is the fourth best in North America.)
A few people added to that, pointing out how fast it is to take the SkyTrain from the Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver.
A number of Reddit users raved about Vancouver’s dining scene, saying it has “great food.” People also commented on the city’s good coffee, craft beer, and even its produce.
Spotting whales came up as another thing that is easy to do.
And a few had very specific ideas of what’s easy, like walking on the beach in February, growing plants on your balcony, and taking a drop-in dance class.
“Vancouver offers a lifestyle that no Canadian city can touch,” one person said.
What are some of the things you find easy to do in Vancouver? Let us know in the comments!